Raise a ruckus
Six Dollar String Band, Durango’s peddler of old-time acoustic barn-dance sounds, will be bringing its picking party to the Balcony Backstage, 600 Main Ave., on Saturday night. With a clawhammer banjo, stand-up bass, fiddle and guitar, this four-piece outfit plays polished, stripped down and exuberant tunes in the style of old-time string bands and early bluegrass. It’s good music for swinging a partner around the dance floor, doing some solo clogging, or, for those less graceful, good old-fashioned foot stomping. Acoustic string music at its best, in other words. The show starts at 10 p.m., and there’s no cover at the door.
Firkin Friday
A firkin may sound like something you would find creeping around in Middle-Earth or on an appetizer tray at a shi-shi party, but it’s actually an old English unit of volume equal to roughly a quarter of a barrel. And at Steamworks Brewing Co., the firkin is a way for brewers to unleash their sudsy creativity 12 times a year. The December edition of Steamworks’ Firkin Friday – a monthly release of a small wooden cask filled will one-of-a-kind brew – takes place Friday at the Second Avenue brewery. On tap this month: Peppermint Stout. “We used our Backside Stout recipe, but then cask conditioned it in the firkin, and the brewers crushed up actual candy canes,” said Steamworks co-founder Kris Oyler. The result is a dark brew whose peppermint highlights play off the chocolate notes of the stout. The robust brew clocks in at 6.4 percent ABV, and because of the way it’s brewed, the unpasteurized, unfiltered stout doesn’t have a long shelf life. “We tap it and then we drink it until it’s gone,” Oyler said. “It’s not something that you can save.” The firkin will be tapped at 3 p.m. at the brewery, 801 East Second Ave.
Sacred sounds
Considering the background of musicians Markus Sieber and Angelika Baumbach, who perform under the name Mirabai Ceiba, it comes as little surprise that their music is infused with styles from around the globe. Sieber is East German and Baumbach grew up in a small village near Mexico City; the two met at a street fair in Edinburgh, Scotland. After falling in love, they decided to share their passion through music – which they consider a universal language. Using piano, guitar and harp, Mirabai Ceiba plays gentle world music steeped in spirituality. Songs are influenced by the words of figures like Rumi, Guru Nanak and Yogi Bhajan, and live performances, according to the band, are celebrations of peace. Mirabai Ceiba will play a show from 7-9 p.m. Sunday at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 East Second Ave. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, www.mirabaiceiba.com for more information.
